English: Bearded Parrotbill, Bearded Tit, Bearded Reedling         
Russian: Усатая синица
Mongolian: Сахал шагшуургабялзуухай, Сахалт хөх бух
German: Bartmeise     
French: Panure a moustaches       
Japanese: ヒゲガラ (Higegara)

Body length: 14-15½ cm.

The Bearded Reedling is (rather surprisingly) most closely related to the larks, but is shown here due to its superficial similarity to the tits. Breeds colonially in large reedbeds at lowland lakes and swamp margins. Very local in Britain, almost entire population confined to E and S coasts of England. Mainly resident, but dispersive, undertakes sporadic eruptions in autumn (signaled by high ‘towering flights’ over breeding lake in dense, highly excited flocks), some at least reaching more southerly winter grounds. Numbers may be severely reduced by cold winters. Feeds on insects and reed seeds. Nest of reed stems low in reeds.

Identification: A small, light yellowish-brown bird with long pale yellow-brown tail glimpsed among the dense jungle of reeds should always be a Bearded Reedling. Flight a little unsteady, with irregular, shallow undulations and whirring wingbeats, almost as it billowing forwards. Climbs reed stems nimbly. Often twitches tail or raises and fans it. Occasionally spreads tail in flight, too.

• Adult ♂: Head light blue-grey with long, black drooping moustache (in other words, despite name, does not have beard!). Throat white. Undertail-coverts black.
  
• Adult ♀: Head buffish-brown without black moustache. Throat off-white. Undertail-coverts buff.
  
• Juvenile: Like adult ♀, but has black back and black areas on tail, and plumage is a bit more yellowish-buff. ♂ separated from ♀ by all-black lores and orange-yellow bill (♀: greyish or brown lores and grey-brown to greyish-black bill). Moults to adult appearance Jul-Oct.